SparkNotes: The Winter's Tale: Characters The Winter's Tale Short Summary Act I, Scenes i-ii Leontes - The King of Sicilia, and the childhood friend of the Bohemian King Polixenes. He is gripped by jealous fantasies, which convince him that Polixenes has been having an affair with his wife, Hermione; his jealousy leads to the destruction of his family. Hermione - The virtuous and beautiful Queen of Sicilia. Falsely accused of infidelity by her husband, Leontes, she apparently dies of grief just after being vindicated by the Oracle of Delphi, but is restored to life at the play's close. Perdita - The daughter of Leontes and Hermione. Because her father believes her to be illegitimate, she is abandoned as a baby on the coast of Bohemia, and brought up by a Shepherd. Unaware of her royal lineage, she falls in love with the Bohemian Prince Florizel. Polixenes - The King of Bohemia, and Leontes's boyhood friend. He is falsely accused of having an affair with Leontes's wife, and barely escapes Sicilia with his life.

Much later in life, he sees his only son fall in love with a lowly Shepherd's daughter—who is, in fact, a Sicilian princess. Florizel - Polixenes's only son and heir; he falls in love with Perdita, unaware of her royal ancestry, and defies his father by eloping with her. Camillo - An honest Sicilian nobleman, he refuses to follow Leontes's order to poison Polixenes, deciding instead to flee Sicily and enter the Bohemian King's service. Paulina - A noblewoman of Sicily, she is fierce in her defense of Hermione's virtue, and unrelenting in her condemnation of Leontes after Hermione's death. She is also the agent of the (apparently) dead Queen's resurrection. Autolycus - A roguish peddler, vagabond, and pickpocket; he steals the Clown's purse and does a great deal of pilfering at the Shepherd's sheepshearing, but ends by assisting in Perdita and Florizel's escape. Shepherd - An old and honorable sheep-tender, he finds Perdita as a baby and raises her as his own daughter.

Antigonus - Paulina's husband, and also a loyal defender of Hermione. He is given the unfortunate task of abandoning the baby Perdita on the Bohemian coast. Clown - The Shepherd's buffoonish son, and Perdita's adopted brother. Mamillius - The young prince of Sicilia, Leontes and Hermione's son. He dies, perhaps of grief, after his father wrongly imprisons his mother. Cleomenes - A lord of Sicilia, sent to Delphi to ask the Oracle about Hermione's guilt. Dion - A Sicilian lord, he accompanies Cleomenes to Delphi. Emilia - One of Hermione's ladies-in-waiting. Archidamus - A lord of Bohemia. More Help Introduction to Shakespeare's Leontes from The Winter's Tale Shakespeare's Characters: Leontes (The Winter's Tale) From The Works of William Shakespeare. Vol. 12. Ed. Evangeline Maria O'Connor. J.D. Morris and Co. Leontes is chiefly affected by the insult of the fate that he stupidly and groundlessly hugs to himself.

He thinks not � not he, of the pity of the supposed fall of so complete a paragon, but pursues her as an enemy with rancorous and publicly proclaimed animosity. Such temper shows most grossly when the object of it is a lady whose nature is not only alien to such falsehood but unsuggestive of it � a lady who with clear and steady intellectual light illuminates every perversity in her husband's course. Had the victim of Leontes been a wife in whom conjugal affectionateness and not matronly dignity and the grace and pride of motherhood prevailed, his conduct would have seemed too intolerably brutal for any reconciliation, and the reuniting link of common parental affection would have been wanting, to render it acceptable to our sympathies and convictions. Neither would it have been natural for such a heart to have remained in seclusion so long, feeding on the hope of a daughter's recovery, nor brooding over the lost love of her husband. Desdemona, affectionate and devoted, is the object of love of a husband whose bitterest trial in jealousy, sensitive as he is in honour, is still the loss of her trusted and tender heart.

The submissive love of Desdemona faints into a tint of the weakness that invites misfortune, and is the worst of all fatalities; the graceful majesty of Hermione is inclined to the side of sober self-command, and for this, when attempered with tenderness and truth, fortune has ever in reserve a happiness at last. Lloyd: Critical Essays on the Plays of Shakespeare. __________________________ The most remarkable stroke of genius in this play of Shakespeare is that he turned only into a comedy a subject which could furnish the most sombre of tragedies. He understood admirably that however violent and tragic were the acts, such a character would be necessarily comic. Indeed, so comic, that it is exactly the one which our Moliere has drawn in Sganarelle, ou le Cocu imaginaire. Leontes is formidable otherwise than the poor bourgeois of Moliere, for his folly is supplied with far different means of action; but they are brothers, if not in rank yet in nature, and their souls plunge into the same grotesque element. Montegut: Euvres completes de Shakespeare. __________________________ Leontes and Othello Contrasted.

The idea of this delightful drama is a genuine jealousy of disposition, and it should be immediately followed by the perusal of Othello, which is the direct contrast of it in every particular.

For jealousy is a vice of the mind, a culpable tendency of the temper, having certain well- known and well-defined effects and concomitants, all of which are visible in Leontes, and, I boldly say, not one of which marks its presence in Othello; � such as, first, an excitability by the most inadequate causes, and an eagerness to snatch at proofs; secondly, a grossness of conception, and a disposition to degrade the object of the passion by sensual fancies and images; thirdly, a sense of shame of his own feelings exhibited in a solitary moodiness of humour, and yet from the violence of the passion forced to utter itself, and therefore catching occasions to ease the mind by ambiguities, equivoques, by talking to those who cannot, and who are known not to be able to, understand what is said to them � in short, by soliloquy in the form of dialogue, and hence a confused, broken, and fragmentary manner; fourthly, a dread of vulgar ridicule, as distinct from a high sense of honour, or a mistaken sense of duty; and lastly, and immediately, consequent on this, a spirit of selfish vindictiveness.

Coleridge: Notes and Lectures upon Shakespeare. ______________________________ In The Winter's Tale, the jealousy of Leontes is not less, but more fierce and unjust, than that of Othello. No lago whispers poisonous suspicion in Leontes' ear. His wife is not untried, nor did she yield to him her heart with the sweet proneness of Desdemona : � "Three crabbed months had sour'd themselves, to death Ere I could make thee open thy white hand. And clap thyself my love; then didst thou utter 'I am yours forever.'" Hermione is suspected of sudden and shameless dishonour � she who is a matron, the mother of Leontes' children, a woman of serious and sweet dignity of character, inured to a noble self-command, and frank only through the consciousness of invulnerable loyalty.

The passion of Leontes is not, like that of Othello, a terrible chaos of soul � confusion and despair at the loss of what had been to him the fairest thing on earth; there is a gross personal resentment in the heart of Leontes, not sorrowful, judicial indignation; his passion is hideously grotesque, while that of Othello is pathetic. The consequences of this jealous madness of Leontes are less calamitous than the ruin wrought by Othello's jealousy, because Hermione is courageous and collected, and possessed of a fortitude of heart which years of suffering are unable to subdue: � "There 's some ill planet reigns; I must be patient till the heavens look With an aspect more favourable. Good my lords, I am not prone to weeping, as our sex Commonly are ; the want of which vain dew Perchance shall dry your pities; but I have That honourable grief lodged here, which burns Worse than tears drown.

Beseech you all, my lords, With thoughts so qualified as your charities Shall best instruct you, measure me; and so The king's will be performed!" But although the wave of calamity is broken by the firm resistance offered by the fortitude of Hermione, it commits ravage enough to make it remembered. Upon the Queen comes a lifetime of solitude and pain. The hopeful son of Leontes and Hermione is done to death, and the infant Perdita is estranged from her kindred and her friends. But at length the heart of Leontes is instructed and purified by anguish and remorse. He has "performed a saint-like sorrow," redeemed his faults, paid down more penitence than done trespass: � "Whilst I remember The Winter's Tale | People's Light The Winter's Tale Click Here to read an article by David Patrick Stearns of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Directed by Guy Hollands January 31 - March 3, 2013 Main Stage Discovery Guide Internationally-acclaimed director Guy Hollands joins us from Scotland to reinvent this tale of kings and queens, revenge and betrayal, spanning countries, seasons, decades, and generations.

Inspired by ancient pagan festivals, our Winter’s Tale will feature live music, dance, food and merriment. Join us for this celebration of transformation and the healing powers of forgiveness. Best appreciated by audiences 10 and up. **ALL SEATING IS GENERAL ADMISSION** Running time: 2 hours, 50 minutes with intermission The Players Mamillius, young Prince of Sicilia Perdita, daughter to Leontes and Hermione Camillo, Lord of Sicilia First Lady, Lady-in-waiting to Hermione Jailer Other Lords and Gentlemen of Sicilia Bohemia Shepherd, reputed father of Perdita Clown, Shepherd’s son Other Shepherds, Shepherdesses, Satyrs, and Musicians **SPOILER ALERT** The Winter’s Tale Plot Synopsis Act 1, scene 1. Leontes’ palace. Leontes attempts to convince his childhood friend, Polixenes, to extend his visit that has already lasted nine months. Both discuss their remarkable sons. Unable to persuade Polixenes, Leontes elicits the help of his wife, Hermione, who is 9 months pregnant.

When Hermione succeeds in persuading Polixenes to stay, Leontes becomes jealous of the affection between Hermione and Polixenes. Convinced they are having an affair, Leontes orders a reluctant Camillo to poison Polixenes. Camillo knows that Polixenes and Hermione are innocent, warns Polixenes of Leontes’ intent, and escapes to Bohemia with Polixenes and his train of servants. Act 2, scene 1. Leontes’ palace. Hermione’s women attendants play with Mamillius and Hermione asks him to tell a story. Leontes discovers that Polixenes and Camillo have fled and believes they had been plotting against Leontes’ life. Leontes publicly accuses Hermione of adultery and Camillo of treason. Antigonus and other Lords defend Hermione. Leontes tells them that he has sent messengers to the oracle in Delphos to confirm his suspicions. Act 2, scene 2. Prison in Sicilia. Paulina is denied access to Hermione, but speaks with Emilia and discovers that Hermione has delivered a daughter while in prison. Paulina plans to present the baby to Leontes to calm his unfounded anger.

Act 2, scene 3. Leontes’ palace. Leontes inquires about Mamillius, who has been ill since Hermione was accused of adultery. Paulina presents the baby to Leontes, but he believes it is Polixenes’ child and orders for the baby and Hermione to be burned. At the appeal of his Lords and Antigonus, Leontes then orders Antigonus to take the baby to a remote place and abandon it. A servant announces that messengers sent to the oracle have returned to Sicilia. Act 3, scene 1. Leontes’ palace. Hermoine is placed on trial and maintains her innocence. The oracle is read, proclaiming that Hermione, Polixenes, and Camillo are innocent and that Leontes will not have an heir if the banished baby is not found. Leontes rejects the oracle. A servant announces that Mamillius has died. Hermione faints and is taken out. Leontes repents. Paulina reenters and pronounces that Hermione has died and rages at Leontes. Leontes vows to mourn eternally. Act 3, scene 2. The shores of Bohemia.

Antigonus arrives with a Mariner on the shores of Bohemia. He recounts a dream he had of Hermione and names the baby Perdita. Antigonous leaves the baby, but is then pursued and killed by a bear. The Old Shepherd, looking for his lost sheep, finds Perdita. The Shepherd’s son enters and recounts Antigonus’ death and the wreck of the Sicilian ship. The Shepherd and his son discover gold with the baby and take her home with them. Act 4, scene 2. Polixenes’ palace. Camillo admits that he is homesick and he and Polixenes discuss the recent absence of prince Florizel. Polixenes decides to go in disguise to the Old Shepherd’s home to confirm rumors that Florizel has been spending time there. Act 4, scene 3. A road near the Shepherd’s cottage. Autolycus, a rogue, tells that he is recently unemployed and seeking income. He encounters the Clown, learns of the sheep-shearing festival, and picks his pocket. Act 4, scene 4.

The sheep shearing festival Florizel, known as Doricles to all but Perdita, woos Perdita, hostess of the feast. Polixenes and Camillo, disguised, come to the feast as guests and are taken with Perdita’s beauty. There is much music, singing, and dancing and Autolycus comes to sell his wares. Polixenes discovers that Florizel and Perdita are in love and plan to marry and warns Florizel that he owes loyalty to his father. When Florizel casts off this duty, Polixenes removes his disguise, forbids Florizel from seeing Perdita again, and threatens to punish the Old Shepherd, the Clown, and Perdita. Camillo advises Florizel to flee to Sicilia with Perdita, predicting that Leontes, seeking forgiveness, will welcome them there. Autolycus enters, having sold all his wares and picked every pocket. Camillo has Florizel disguise himself by changing clothes with Autolycus. Autolycus intercepts the Shepherd and the Clown on their way to Polixenes to reveal how they found Perdita, and thus avoid punishment.

Autolycus directs them to the ship where the king is boarding. The Shepherd agrees that Autolycus should act as their agent in presenting their case to the king and they go to board the ship. Act 5, scene 1. Leontes’ palace. Sicilian Lords attempt to convince Leontes that he has mourned enough and should marry again. Paulina reminds them of past events and the oracle. Leontes, still in mourning, yields to Paulina. Florizel and Perdita arrive at the palace. Florizel invents a story to explain their journey and his lack of attendants. As Leontes welcomes them, a servant announces that Polixenes and Camillo have arrived in Sicilia. Leontes discovers the truth of Florizel’s journey and goes to meet Polixenes. Act 5, scene 2. Before Leontes’ palace.

Prompted by Autolycus, two Gentlemen and Emilia recount the revelation of Perdita’s true identity, the reunion between Leontes and Polixenes, Paulina’s reaction to Antigonus’ fate and meeting Perdita, and Perdita’s reaction to the story of her mother. Emilia reports that all are going to see Hermione’s statue, which had been secretly kept by Paulina. Autolycus blames himself for the good fortune of others and laments his honesty. The Clown and Shepherd comfort him and all go to see the statue. Act 5, scene 3. A chapel in Paulina’s house. Paulina reveals Hermione’s statue. As all marvel, Paulina claims that she can make the statue move. Calling on their faith, she awakens the statue with music and Hermione moves and speaks. Leontes begs her forgiveness. Hermione, Leontes, and Perdita are reunited. To comfort Paulina, lamenting the loss of Antigonus, Leontes pairs her with Camillo. All exit to recount further details of their parts in this tale.

Scoop on Sunday: History, Context, and Gossip Join us for Scoop on Sunday, a lively discussion before every Sunday 7pm performance of The Winter's Tale. A member of the cast and a People’s Light artistic staff member will fill you in on the world of the play, how and why we chose it, as well as how we cast it, designed it, and rehearsed it. The program will start at 5:30 in The Farmhouse Bistro. Only $15, which includes light fare! Cash bar will be open. Call the Box Office at 610.644.3500 to reserve. Actors, prices, productions, performance dates and times are subject to change. Additional fees or upgrades will apply. Contact the Box Office for details. Production Stage Manager: Kelly O'Rourke* Composer/Musical Director: Michael John McCarthy Dramaturg: Gina Pisasale * Member, Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers. Guy Hollands Director Guy is delighted to make his U.S. directing debut at People’s Light.

He is currently Associate Director of Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland, where he has also served as Artistic Director, Freelance director, and Drama Worker for 15 years. Guy’s award-winning direction in the U.K. includes, among many others, The Caretaker, Knives in Hens, Liar, Meep and Moop, Beauty and the Beast, Hamlet, Othello, Waiting for Godot, Wizard of Oz, and Three Sisters for Citizens, Yellow Moon at TAG, and Monster in the Hall which earned awards at the 2011 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and multiple 4 and 5-star reviews. His work has toured throughout Scotland and to Wales, Germany, Netherlands, U.S., Singapore, and China. Guy is very interested in achieving a multigenerational feel to this traveling group of self-sustaining artists that make up the cast so joining the veteran People’s Light company members and experienced visiting artists will be members of People’s Lights’ youth and teen Arts Discovery programs.

Celebrating the Seasonal Turn As director Guy Hollands has noted, the main inspiration for our production is the celebrations at a seasonal festival, such as the Drowning of the Marzanna, where communities gather for ritual parade and burning of the Witch of Winter. Focusing on this seasonal ritual not only highlights the festival aspects of this play and our production, but it also brings the stakes of the play, the structure of the story, and character’s journeys into sharp relief. We – both the audience and players alike – are invited to fully embrace the visceral experience of going from winter – a cold and dark time where nature experiences a “lasting wink” of death – to spring – when our bodies relax from shivering against the cold and nature is reborn before our eyes. Written towards the end of Shakespeare’s career, it contains elements found in the best of his tragedies – a jealous king rages when he suspects his wife of infidelity, tyranny tears a court and family apart, and the untimely death of a beloved child causes an anguish that brings a certain clarity to what is important in life, as many of us have been reminded by the recent events in CT.

But unlike Othello or King Lear, Shakespeare turns this dark and cold tale towards spring and offers us music, dance, reconciliation, and restoration that begin at a seasonal festival. The Play of the Players Our production will also be played by actors playing an itinerant troupe of artists that have come to Malvern to celebrate their seasonal ritual. Following Holland’s vision, the mechanics of the production will all be visible – we’ll see the sounds of the storm being created and we’ll be reminded once or twice that the characters are indeed actors. For example, actor Peter DeLaurier as Antigonus cries “I am gone for ever!” as he meets his end in the form of a bear attack, and then has the very next line of the play as a completely different character, the Old Shepherd. The visible frame of the mechanics of the production offer an exciting dynamic where we get to see art and artifice created before our very eyes. This approach befits a larger question that I think that Shakespeare is asking with this play. With the title The Winter’s Tale, our play announces its fantastical construction.

Certainly, some of its extraordinary turns ask us to rely on more than what is logically explainable: • We have Shakespeare’s most famous stage direction: Exit, pursued by a bear. And this bear “dined” on Antigonus, yet nearby the infant Perdita was left untasted. • Time is made corporal and speaks to us! • And to top it all off, a statue is brought to life by Paulina. At that moment, that perhaps applies to all of these events, Paulina demands, “It is required/You do awake your faith.” What sort of faith did Shakespeare require of us? In Shakespeare’s time, organized religion involved more than a personal choice of spiritual devotion and expression. It was fused with moral, political, and social convictions that were bound to legal obligations to serve God, monarch, and country. The Catholic Bloody Mary, persecuted Protestants during her reign (1553-1558) while her successor, Elizabeth I (1558-1603), punished subjects who refused to attend weekly services of the Church of England. Faith was a matter of life and death.

When he assumed the throne in 1603, James I was tolerant of both Protestant and Catholic practices. However, after a failed assassination attempt known as the Gunpowder Plot attempted by a small band of Catholics in 1605, James became increasingly paranoid and tyrannical. In 1611, the speculated year in which The Winter’s Tale debuts, James I dissolved Parliament, underscoring his adamant belief in the Divine Right of Kings. In addition to the debates among the Christian sects, James was fascinated by Cabbalism, the faith of magic and devil conjuring. In 1597, he published Daemonologie, a dialogue about witchcraft and “a notable sorcerer who was burned at Edenbrough.” He believed that witches had thwarted his marital rendezvous with Anne of Denmark by conjuring a tempest during her journey and forcing her off course. While Shakespeare wrote The Winter’s Tale, both Christian and pagan belief systems were being influenced by new geographical and scientific discoveries. In 1607, Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in the New World, was founded.

And in 1609, Galileo’s invention of the telescope confirmed Copernicus’ theory that the sun, not the Earth, was the center of the universe. It was in this historical moment that Shakespeare wrote about the dangers of absolute sovereign power, the extent of human control in the world, ventures to rough and rural lands, mysticism and the supernatural, death, and rebirth. Among this fractious arena of various competing “faiths,” Shakespeare, nearing the end of his career, is arguably reflecting on his own career as a player and playwright and his appeal to theatre audiences to have a kind of theatrical faith. Time asks for our patience as we “slide/O’er sixteen years” and “imagine [him]/Gentle spectators,…in fair Bohemia.” We are asked to suspend our disbelief, believe we are in the fictional worlds he creates, and empathize with the characters of his story. This winter’s tale, however, is far from painless, involving unexplainable rage, betrayal, the pain of a child’s death, and a lethal bear attack. Why does Shakespeare demand our theatrical faith, forcing us to feel the weight of such tragedy, this chill of winter?

Perhaps some insight can be gained from Steve Hamilton, a father who wrote of the untimely death of his 18 year old daughter. He recounted, “within a millisecond of her death, I was screaming with doubt…What do I really believe? Slowly, we turned more and more to our faith, and choosing to believe she can be in a better place or is in a better place and I'll see her there.” In times if tragedy, we turn to faith for survival, revitalization, and renewal. Theatre director and theorist Augusto Boal maintains that living through the repressive nature of tragedy is crucial to achieving “the enormous efficacy of the transformations that take place before [our] eyes. Theater is change and not simple presentation of what exists: it is becoming and not being.” Theatre involves and requires a faith in something beyond what actually exists in order for us to reflect up on and respond to what does exist. In company with Time, it is where cruelty can be forgiven and a family torn apart can reunite. As we endure the hardships of winter, Shakespeare tells us an old tale of joys mixed with sorrows, where faith can heal and restore the world.

And the great part about our production is that we get to celebrate this turn from winter to spring as a community. When Hollands first encountered the community at People’s Light in 2011, he was struck by the company’s way of “meaningfully engaging young people in the life of the theatre.” The courage, eager engagement, and mutual artistic respect among the veteran actors and young artists that Hollands discovered among the company at People’s Light, combined with his interest in exploring the folk performers that appear at the seasonal festival in the play, has inspired his vision of The Winter’s Tale. So come and grab some cider, gather among the warmth of People and Light at People’s Light, and let’s burn this witch of winter. See what the critics are saying about our production of The Winter's Tale! Watch an exclusive behind the scenes video about the making of our Winter Festival! Come and enjoy warm cider, music, and dance a half-hour before each performance of The Winter's Tale! Worried you won't understand Shakespeare? Mary Elizabeth Scallen (Emilia from The Winter's Tale) explains Shakespeare's use of poetry and prose throughout the play to develop characters and plot. Want more exclusive content?

Be sure to like our Facebook page for even more photos, videos and behind the scenes content as it happens! Click Here to read a fascinating article about our production of The Winter's Tale by David Patrick Stearns of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Reviews The Winter's Tale Characters - eNotes.com The Winter's Tale Characters link Link Leontes Leontes (lee-ON-teez), the king of Sicilia. For many years a close friend of King Polixenes of Bohemia, Leontes, curiously, becomes insanely jealous of him. Afraid of becoming a cuckold, he imprisons Hermione, wrests her son away from her, and attempts to murder Polixenes. When he learns that Hermione is pregnant, he rails; he calls his daughter a bastard and forces Antigonus to leave the child alone in a deserted area. Finally, coming to his senses, he realizes the awful truth. Through his jealousy, he loses his child, wife, and friends. Polixenes Polixenes (poh-LIHKS-eh-neez), the king of Bohemia. The innocent victim of Leontes’ wrath, he flees to his kingdom, bewildered by his friend’s outburst.

Many years later, he is to meet Leontes under much happier circumstances. Hermione Hermione (hur-MI-uh-nee), the queen to Leontes and one of the noblest women in Shakespearean drama. Like Polixenes, she is baffled by Leontes’ jealousy. Imprisoned, with her children snatched away from her, she remains in hiding with Paulina, his devoted friend, until she is reunited with her family after sixteen years. Perdita Perdita (PUR-dih-tuh), the daughter of Leontes and Hermione. Luckily for her, after she is abandoned she is found by an old shepherd, who protects her as his own child until she is of marriageable age. Meeting young Prince Florizel of Bohemia, she falls in love with him. Later, she and her repentant father are reunited. Paulina Paulina (poh-LEE-nuh), the wife of Antigonus and lady in waiting to Hermione. Realizing the absurdity of Leontes’ accusations, the courageous woman upbraids him unmercifully for his blind cruelty to Hermione, whom she keeps hidden for sixteen years.

Finally, through her efforts, husband and wife meet on a much happier note. Camillo Camillo (ka-MIHL-oh), a lord of Sicilia and Leontes’ trusted adviser, who realizes that Hermione is completely innocent of adultery. When ordered by Leontes to kill Polixenes, loyal, steadfast Camillo cannot murder a good king. Instead, he sails with Polixenes and serves him well for many years. Later, he returns to his beloved Sicilia. Antigonus Antigonus (an-TIHG-uh-nuhs), a lord of Sicilia and Paulina’s husband. Much against his will, this unhappy man is forced to abandon Perdita in a deserted wasteland. Unfortunately for this good man, who is aware of the king’s irrationality, he is killed and eaten by a bear; hence, the fate and whereabouts of Perdita remain unknown for many years. Autolycus Autolycus (oh-TOL-ih-kuhs), a rogue. A ballad-monger, he is a delightful scoundrel. Quick with a song, he is equally adept at stealing purses and, in general, at living by his quick wit.

Florizel Florizel (FLOR-ih-zehl), the prince of Bohemia. In love with Perdita, he refuses to give her up, even though, in so doing, he angers his hot-tempered father, who does not want to see his son marry a girl of apparent low birth. An old shepherd An old shepherd, the reputed father of Perdita. A clown A clown, his oafish son. Dion SparkNotes: The Winter's Tale: Short Summary The Winter's Tale Context Characters King Leontes of Sicilia begs his childhood friend, King Polixenes of Bohemia, to extend his visit to Sicilia. Polixenes protests that he has been away from his kingdom for nine months, but after Leontes's pregnant wife, Hermione, pleads with him he relents and agrees to stay a little longer. Leontes, meanwhile, has become possessed with jealousy—convinced that Polixenes and Hermione are lovers, he orders his loyal retainer, Camillo, to poison the Bohemian king. Instead, Camillo warns Polixenes of what is afoot, and the two men flee Sicilia immediately.

Furious at their escape, Leontes now publicly accuses his wife of infidelity, and declares that the child she is bearing must be illegitimate. He throws her in prison, over the protests of his nobles, and sends to the Oracle of Delphi for what he is sure will be confirmation of his suspicions. Meanwhile, the queen gives birth to a girl, and her loyal friend Paulina brings the baby to the king, in the hopes that the sight of the child will soften his heart. He only grows angrier, however, and orders Paulina's husband, Lord Antigonus, to take the child and abandon it in some desolate place. While Antigonus is gone, the answer comes from Delphi—Hermione and Polixenes are innocent, and Leontes will have no heir until his lost daughter is found. As this news is revealed, word comes that Leontes's son, Mamillius, has died of a wasting sickness brought on by the accusations against his mother. Hermione, meanwhile, falls in a swoon, and is carried away by Paulina, who subsequently reports the queen's death to her heartbroken and repentant husband.

Antigonus, meanwhile abandons the baby on the Bohemian coast, reporting that Hermione appeared to him in a dream and bade him name the girl Perdita and leave gold and other tokens on her person. Shortly thereafter, Antigonus is killed by a bear, and Perdita is raised by a kindly Shepherd. Sixteen years pass, and the son of Polixenes, Prince Florizel, falls in love with Perdita. His father and Camillo attend a sheepshearing in disguise and watch as Florizel and Perdita are betrothed—then, tearing off the disguise, Polixenes intervenes and orders his son never to see the Shepherd's daughter again. With the aid of Camillo, however, who longs to see his native land again, Florizel and Perdita take ship for Sicilia, after using the clothes of a local rogue, Autolycus, as a disguise. They are joined in their voyage by the Shepherd and his son, a Clown, who are directed there by Autolycus. In Sicilia, Leontes—still in mourning after all this time—greets the son of his old friend effusively.

Florizel pretends to be on a diplomatic mission from his father, but his cover is blown when Polixenes and Camillo, too, arrive in Sicilia. What happens next is told to us by gentlemen of the Sicilian court: the Shepherd tells everyone his story of how Perdita was found, and Leontes realizes that she is his daughter, leading to general rejoicing. The entire company then goes to Paulina's house in the country, where a statue of Hermione has been recently finished. The sight of his wife's form makes Leontes distraught, but then, to everyone's amazement, the statue comes to life—it is Hermione, restored to life. As the play ends, Paulina and Camillo are engaged, and the whole company celebrates the miracle. More Help The Winter's Tale Rogero: Lord who tells other gentlemen that a prophecy by the Delphic Oracle has been fulfilled. Minor Characters: Other lords, gentlemen, ladies, officers, servants, shepherds, shepherdesses. Plot Summary By Michael J. Cummings...ï¿½ 2003 . .

It is time for Polixenes, King of Bohemia, to end his visit with his boyhood friend Leontes, king of Sicily. While the two kings prepare to bid farewell in a state room of the Sicilian palace, a Bohemian lord named Archidamus and a Sicilian lord named Camillo are in an antechamber discussing the extraordinary friendship between the two rulers. Camillo, advisor to Leontes, observes that they were inseparable when growing up: ï¿½They were trained together in their childhoods; and there rooted betwixt them then such an affection, which cannot choose but branch nowï¿½ (1.1.10). Archidamus says nothing will ever come between the two kings. (His observation is an ironic foreshadowing of a terrible jealousy that will soon divide them.) He also praises the Sicilian kingï¿½s little boy, Mamillius, as the finest of lads with the brightest of futures.

(This, too, is an ominous observation.) In the state room, King Leontes presses King Polixenes to linger in Sicily one more week, but Polixenes begs off, worrying about ï¿½what may chance / Or breedï¿½ (1.2. 15-16) in Bohemia in his absence. When Hermione, the beautiful wife of Leontes, joins her husband in importuning Polixenes to extend his visit, he agrees to remain a while longer. Pulling him aside, she asks what his childhood was like with her husband. Polixenes replies, We were, fair queen, Is leaning cheek to cheek? is meeting noses? Kissing with inside lip? stopping the career Of laughing with a sigh? (1.2.332-335) Finally, he orders Camillo to bear a poisoned cup to Polixenes. Camillo tells the king he will perform the deadly mission, but then warns the Bohemian king that his life is in danger. During the night, Polixenes steals away. Camillo, estranged by Leontesï¿½s behavior, accompanies Polixenes.

Their sudden departure convinces Leontes his suspicions against Hermione are well founded. Angry and bitter, he publicly denounces his wife, who is soon to have another child, as an adulteress. After imprisoning her, he deprives her of the company of little Mamillius. Hermione pleads her innocence, to no avail. She is guilty; Leontes is certain of it. To confirm her guilt for others, he sends two lords, Cleontes and Dion, to the Oracle at Delphi, Greece, to request a judgment. After Hermione bears a daughter, her servant, Paulina, presents the infant to Leontes, hoping the sight of the little girl will quench his anger. However, wrathful as ever, Leontes disowns the childï¿½believing it is not his ownï¿½and orders Paulinaï¿½s husband, Antigonus, to abandon it in a far-off place. Leontes then subjects Hermione to a public trial. With utmost dignity and grace, she proclaims her innocence, declaring she has always been faithful to Leontes. During the trial, Cleontes and Dion return from Delphi with a sealed verdict from the great Oracle.

An official of the court breaks the seal and reads the verdict: "Hermione is chaste; Polixenes blameless; Camillo a true subject; Leontes a jealous tyrant; his innocent babe truly begotten; and the king shall live without an heir, if that which is lost be not found" (3.2.134). Leontes rejects the verdict and orders the trial to continue. A servant interrupts the proceedings with tragic news: Prince Mamillius, pining for his jailed motherï¿½s love, has died. The news staggers Leontes, and Hermione collapses. Suddenly realizing how wrong he has been, Leontes tells Hermioneï¿½s attendants to treat her gently when they escort her from the courtroom. Later, Leontes receives another shock: Hermione, too, has died. Profoundly moved, the king laments his vengeful deeds and goes off to mourn. What of the newly born child, the infant princess?

As instructed, Antigonus leaves her in a far-off place, the coast of Bohemia, along with certain effects, including a note identifying the infant as ï¿½Perdita,ï¿½ a name that came to Antigonus when he imagined he saw Hermione in a vision. But before Antigonus can return to his ship, a bear attacks and kills him and an angry sea wrecks the ship and swallows it and all aboard. Consequently, no one is left to report the fate of the child. A clown, the son of a 67-year-old shepherd, witnessed the bear attack and gives a report to his father, who discloses news of his own: He has found a baby girl on the coast along with a ï¿½bearing clothï¿½ and gold. Sixteen Years Pass Shakespeare updates the audience on important developments through a speaker called Time. He tells the audience that Leontes now lives in seclusion and that the setting of the drama has shifted to Bohemia, where the son of Polixenes has fallen in love with a shepherdess.

In Bohemia, Polixenes stews about his son, Florizel, because the young man frequently visits the house of an elderly shepherd to woo his beautiful sixteen-year-old daughter, Perdita. Because of her lowly status, she is unworthy of Florizelï¿½s attentions, Polixenes believes. Polixenes and Camillo, who has become the advisor of the king, decide to call at the shepherdï¿½s house to observe Florizel and Perdita during a sheep-shearing and feast in which visitors are welcome. They wear disguises. Also present are the old shepherd and his son; a shepherdess, Mopsa (who hopes to marry the shepherdï¿½s son) and her friend, Dorcas; and a thief, Autolycus, who has presented himself as a seller of ballads after arriving while singing a song. Earlier, Autolycus had picked the clownï¿½s pocket on a road near the shepherdï¿½s cottage. When Polixenes discovers that Florizel plans to marry Perdita, Polixenes reveals his identity and threatens retaliation against anyone who abets the wedding plans.

Sympathizing with the lovers, Camillo persuades them to abscond to Sicily. Later, at Camilloï¿½s request, Autolycus assists in the escape plan by gladly trading his shabby clothes with the princely garb of Florizel. Dressed as a commoner, Florizel will be able to avoid detection on his way to a ship. Before returning to the palace, Camillo tells the audience in an aside that he will provoke Polixenes into following the lovers. His purpose is not to betray the lovers; rather, it is to go with Polixenes to Sicily, for which Camillo has been homesick these many long years in Bohemia. His scheme works and Polixenes prepares to follow the lovers in his own ship. Elsewhere, the old shepherd and his son are on their way to see Polixenes at his palace. The shepherd carries a box containing keepsakes of Perdita from long ago. These objects, he believes, will prove that Perdita is not his daughter and, thus, enable him and his son to escape the kingï¿½s wrath.

On their way, they meet Autylocus, still dressed in Florizelï¿½s clothes; they think he is a royal personage. When he says the king is about to embark on a ship to chase Florizel and Perdita, they offer him gold to take him to the ship and speak for them. But because he is not who he says he is, he takes them to Prince Florizelï¿½s ship. All of themï¿½Florizel, Perdita, Autolycus, the old shepherd, and his sonï¿½then set sail for Sicily ahead of the kingï¿½s ship. Many days pass while the ships are at sea. The setting then shifts to Sicily. When Florizel and Perdita arrive at the palace of Leontes and wait for an audience with him, a gentleman of the court informs the king of their presence, announcing them as the Prince and Princess of Bohemia. He says the princess is the most beautiful creature he has ever seen.

After they are escorted into the court, Florizel greets Leontes on behalf of his father, Polixenes, saying an infirmity prevented Polixenes from making the trip himself. When Leontes inquires about the lovely Perdita, Florizel describes her as the daughter of a Libyan lord. He and the princess sojourned in that African country, he says, before sailing to Sicily to carry out a mission for his father. While Leontes visits with the young couple, all of the others from Bohemia assemble at the court: the old shepherd, his son, and Autolycus, as well as the travelers from the other shipï¿½King Polixenes and Camillo. Leontes, now a reformed man who is deeply sorry for his past misdeeds, reconciles with Polixenes and Camillo. The old shepherd and his son then reveal the contents of the mysterious box of keepsakes. It contains a ï¿½bearing-clothï¿½ (3.3.77) Hermione had given to Antigonus. Leontes recognizes it as Hermioneï¿½s, unique because of a jewel on it.

He also recognizes the handwriting in the note Antigonus left before a bear attacked and killed him. Just as convincing as these items identifying Perdita is the remarkable resemblance Perdita bears to Hermione. King Leontes joyfully reunites with his daughter and accepts Florizel as his future son-in-law; Polixenes accepts Perdita as his future daughter-in-law. Leontesï¿½s joy, though, is tinged with sadness, for he still grieves over the loss of Hermione. Paulina, the servant who sixteen years before pleaded on Hermioneï¿½s behalf, then invites Leontes to her house to show him a statue of Hermione, sculpted by an Italian master. While the royals and nobles are on their way to Paulinaï¿½s, Autolycus begs and receives the forgiveness of the old shepherd and his son for deceiving them back in Bohemia, then taking their gold and putting them on the wrong ship. Upon viewing the statue at Paulinaï¿½s house, Leontes discovers that it is no statue; it is the real Hermione. She has been living in hiding with Paulina these many years praying for the return of her daughter.

Paulina was afraid to disclose Hermioneï¿½s whereabouts for fear of interfering with the will of the Delphic Oracle, as expressed in the prediction that ï¿½the king shall live without an heir, if that which is lost be not foundï¿½ (3.2.134). In other words, Leontesï¿½if reunited earlier with Hermioneï¿½might have fathered another child. In so doing, he would have produced an heir before his lost child had been found. The will of the Oracle would have been defeated. When Perdita appears, Hermione rejoices and invokes the gods to bless her child. The joy of the occasion spills over to include a proposal by Leontes that Camillo and Paulina marry. And what of Mamillius, the little prince? Nothing can bring him back, but Leontes does have a new son in the person of Florizel. Great Buys on the Following Items at Amazon.com

Question: Who is the daughter of Leontes in The Winter’s Tale?
Answer: PERDITA